Old Beginnings And New Endings
by The Blondest Brunette
Summary: It was just a writing assignment, and her friends were just a little too excited about using the abandoned theme park for the setting... Who would've thought a writing assingment would change her life, again? ChihiroHaku
1. c h a p t e r 1

**This is NOT a sequel to Coming Home!!!**

**Oh, my, god, this took forever.**

**Reviews are fuel.**

* * *

"Wazzap, Chi?" Minerva asked as she sat down next to her friend at lunch.

"Trying to figure out something to do for Mrs. Graven's assignment – you know, write a fantasy story? It's harder than I thought it would be." Chihiro replied as she ate some of her cheeseburger.

"Yeah, that is hard. I think I'm going to do a retake on Anastasia where Rasputin is actually just misunderstood – like that book, oh, what's it called… Wicked!"

"Mrs. G said we couldn't redo a story." Chihiro pointed out.

"Oh… right… Well, then, I really don't know." Minerva said as she tapped her chin with her spork.

"Ello, love! Oh, and Mineral." Cartel smiled as he sat down at the girls' table.

"My name is Minerva, Car!" Minerva exclaimed, though she was far too used to it to be really annoyed.

"And my name is Cartel. Now that we have that established, how's the first half of your days been?"

"Alright." Chihiro said as she smiled at her boyfriend of two months. Every time they kissed or hugged or did anything coupley, though, she felt like she was betraying Haku… Even though she hadn't seen him in seven years – since she was ten.

"Are we all still on for the theme park tomorrow?" Minerva asked, stabbing a lumpy looking mashed "potato."

"'Course we are… Right, Ro?" Cartel asked, and she had to nod. He and Minerva had been positively obsessed with examining the old theme park, and no matter how many times Chihiro had tried to talk them out of it she had never been able to succeed. At least she made them promise they would go early in the morning, saying she had chores to do in the afternoon. That, hopefully, would give them time to cross the river before sunset.

"I've been thinking about using that place as a backdrop for the writing assignment." Minerva threw out, hoping to spark some interesting conversation.

"That would make one of the coolest stories ever… Just imagine what all you could do with it!" Cartel happily exclaimed. "Maybe I'll use it, too…"

"Oh, now there's an idea! We should all do one together! How does that sound?" Minerva asked her friends.

"Actually, I don't think that's too bad of an idea, but I really don't think Mrs. G will let us." Chihiro said, mainly because she didn't want to work with her friends on the project. Mrs. Graven, their writing teacher, had assigned a 50-page (or more), typed, 12pt Verdana, fantasy story. Chihiro was planning on writing _her_ story, the story no one had ever heard. But somehow, she felt like she was doing something _wrong_ whenever she started to write, and she wondered if it was because she had never gone back and really truly said goodbye. Either way, she didn't want to work with her friends (partially because their grades weren't as good as hers) and she really didn't want to return to the Spirit World, or even just the theme park entrance.

"Well, it looks like lunch break is almost up. See ya later!" Cartel said as he stood up, blowing Chihiro a kiss.

"I better get going too. I'll talk to you soon… Or we'll just meet up at the park at seven, right?" Chihiro nodded as her friend walked off to dump her tray.

_Tomorrow… Tomorrow I go back._

* * *

"Wow. This place is so romantic in the morning." Minerva exclaimed as she walked through the theme park entrance, early morning sunlight shining through the stained-glass windows and making pretty images on the floor. Her dark brown locks shimmered below the light. She traced the engravings on the birdbaths, trying to decipher what the intentions of the person who created the pieces were.

"Yeah, it is." Cartel said as he smiled over at Chihiro.

Chihiro, though, was lost in memories. Memories about when she had first come here, leaving all her friends behind. She could still remember the bouquet of flowers she had gotten. She couldn't help but smile a little bit as she took in the beauty of the abandoned theme park. She had always wondered why it was abandoned. Was it because it was the portal to the Spirit World, and people kept getting sucked in? Or did it somehow _become_ the portal to the Spirit World? She was so lost in thought she didn't realize that they were on the banks of the river until Minerva waved her hand in front of her face.

"Chihiro…? You awake over there?" Her eyes were full of genuine concern.

"Oh! Yeah… I'm fine. This place is just so beautiful." Chihiro sighed. The grass, green as always, waving in the breeze. Nothing had changed. She wondered if things ever would. Softly, as if in a trance, she walked over and sat on one of the stones that the remaining bit of the river ran against. It was so warm, so peaceful… She hadn't felt this way in years. Seven, to be exact.

"Wow. I love it here! I know what I should do for my story now! I'll have a girl who gets lost and then-" Minerva exclaimed, but her words were lost to Chihiro.

_Don't look back!_

_No! I have to save him!_

_Which ones are your parents?_

_I remember my name!_

_You fell in… You almost drowned…_

_Thank you_.

The memories, after years of repression, were coming back – vividly. She could remember how everything smelled, felt… The thrill of running down the stairs to find Kamajii; the horror of Haku, hurt and bleeding everywhere. The long train ride. The first time she had to eat the food. Almost disappearing. Everything. It was as if some force was trying to warn her to stay away, but at the same time trying to entice her back.

"So, what do you think?" Chihiro suddenly heard Minerva's words, and realized she was waiting for a response.

"Oh, I think it sounds pretty good," she offered, standing up. Cartel had been giving her weird looks ever since they walked into the theme park, but Chihiro just shrugged it off.

"Come on, I wanna see the rest!" Minerva exclaimed as she hopped from rock to rock.

_Here goes nothing._

It was _exactly_ how she remembered it. Now that she was older, and could more appreciate her surroundings more, it seemed even more magical.

Or maybe it was just the fact that she knew it _was_ magical.

"Mmm… This smells _so_ good…" Minerva said as she walked over to the very same stand that Chihiro had lost her parents to.

"No! Wait! We can't eat that!" Chihiro exclaimed as she pulled her friend away from the stand.

"Gods, what's your problem?" Minerva asked as she rolled her eyes.

"It's nothing… It would just ruin our lunch!" Chihiro lied.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" Minerva asked. As much as Chihiro loved her friend, she hated her friend's temper.

"Hey, guys, look at this!" Cartel exclaimed as he bent over the edge of the bridge.

Chihiro's eyes were wide. Not at the fact that Minerva had rushed over to marvel at the train running below the bridge, not at the fact that she knew they were in too deep to get out alone, no, she wasn't worried about that. It was the look on _his_ face, however, that scared her.

He was as beautiful as ever. His blue-black hair was tied back, longer than she remembered. His eyes were cold, still, and he wasn't smiling. This was probably the last thing he wanted to happen. He looked at her two friends, and then his gaze hardened as he looked at her. Chihiro hung her head in shame.

"Uh, Chihiro…? Are you okay?" Cartel asked, looking frantically between Chihiro and Haku.

"You'll be fine." Haku said to Chihiro and she nodded, understanding his meaning. From under her lashes she could see Haku turn to her friends, who were staring at him in a mix of fear and enchantment.

"Come."

"Whoa, wait a minute. I'm not going anywhere without Chihiro." Minerva stuck up for her friend.

"No, guys, trust him. He knows what he's doing." Chihiro reprimanded.

"Baby, are you okay?" Cartel asked, throwing in the "baby" as his way of staking his claim.

"I'm fine. Just go with him, alright?" Chihiro winced as she heard Cartel call her "baby".

"But Chihiro…!" Cartel continued his protest. He really, really, didn't like the man glaring at his friends.

"I said, go with him. Do I need to repeat myself _again_?" Chihiro's head snapped up, and she glared at Cartel.

"No. Fine. We'll go." Cartel glared back as he followed Haku inside.

"Minerva… You too. I'll be fine, okay? Trust me, please." Chihiro begged, and her friend nodded.

"Stay safe." Minerva said before she, too, walked into the bathhouse.

Chihiro sighed. This wasn't what she had planned. One look at the sky told her it was too late. Thinking it unwise to follow Haku (or even get within seeing range), she figured she would go see Kamajii. She walked the way she remembered, memories flooding in.

_Please give me a job!_

_Your friends made this – it will protect you._

_Don't look back._

Before Chihiro even got to the stairs, she broke down crying.

* * *

**Review please!**

**And thanks to everyone who voted for this!**


	2. c h a p t e r 2

**Seems like I confuzzled a lot of people with my last update. Sorry! I hope this clears things up!**

**We're covering a lot of ground today, so I hope you're ready! If things are confusing,**

**some will be cleared up in later chapters, but if you're really confused, contact me somehow. Thanks!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Erin.**

**Whether you'll ever read this or not, know that you'll always be one of my sisters.**

-

"Okay, I'm not moving until you stop acting like some smart-ass and tell me what the _hell_ is going on between you and my best friend!" Minerva exclaimed once she set foot into the grand bathhouse. She was too mad to be distracted by all the beauty, and that was not a good sign. Cartel nodded his head and rooted his feet beside her.

"She never told you…?" There was a hint of dark humor in Haku's voice. "If you are so close, shouldn't she have told you?" He didn't turn around to face them, instead looking straight ahead and somewhat resembling a stature. Scratch the somewhat.

"Well…" it wasn't hard to tell that Minerva's train of thought was slightly derailed at the comment, but she didn't let it last long. "We all have stuff in our pasts we don't want to talk about. I'm sure she'll tell us when she's ready."

"So then I'm still supposed to stop acting like some smart-ass and tell you what the _hell_ is going on between me and your best friend even though you're so sure that she'll tell you when she's ready?"

"Um… Yes! Now stop trying to distract me and start talking!"

"I believe I am."

"Distracting me, yes! Talking, no!"

"Then what do you call this?"

"Talking! … Okay, okay, stop it already. I give up." Minerva threw her hands in the air. "But you do owe us an explanation on why you made her feel so bad!"

"We don't have the time. Come." Haku started moving forward again, but the two teenagers stayed put.

"No," Cartel's voice was as cold as Haku's.

"Don't try to be her knight in shining armor; you're a little late. We really do not have the time for this. Come."

"Don't think you can just order us around! You have no power over us!" Minerva exclaimed.

"Really? You have no idea how _far_ from the truth you are. If you need more incentive to move, look at your hands." Silence, sweet silence, before the scream.

"What the hell did you do to me! You bastard, you better fix this STAT before I sue! And I will, you don't have to worry about that! I'll sue your ass from here to Pluto and back again!" Minerva shrilly exclaimed while Cartel just stared at his almost non-existent hands.

"If you continue like this you will not be here to sue me, whatever that is. Come. If I have to say it one more time I will not hesitate to-"

"Don't finish that. We're coming. Right, Mineral?" Cartel's weak attempt at humor did subdue his friend a little bit, at least.

"Fine. We'll come. But if you hurt Chihiro in any way shape or form, I swear to whatever god you want that you will _not_ enjoy the teeny-tiny remainder of your life," Minerva said as she glared at Haku's back.

She was going to give this strangely handsome man hell, no matter what. _No one_ hurts her family and gets away with it.

-

Time. It seemed to never pass when you were in horrible amounts of pain. Chihiro had no idea how long she'd been sitting on the cold ground, only that it seemed to be getting colder and darker.

Oh gods, I'm here. I'm really here. He's here. My worlds… They've collided. I don't know if I can survive this. Haku and Cartel in one place, one time… It can't work. I love Haku, and I always have, but I have to move on. I thought I had moved on. Cartel… He's wonderful and funny and everything I'm supposed to want in a guy. So why isn't he enough? And why do I know I'm not going to go all invisible? Wait, where the heck did that thought come from? Are those footsteps?

Chihiro snapped out of her thoughts as her mind clarified the sound of approaching footsteps. She didn't move. She didn't feel like moving.

"Hello…? I know you're out here, and with it about to rain and all it wouldn't be such a great idea to stay here long," the voice was soft, warm, feminine.Very comforting.

Chihiro turned her head to look at the woman speaking to her and was blown away. She was so beautiful! She had long, shiny chestnut hair that curled and waved all the way down to her waist, accented with the tiniest honey highlights. She had big, blue eyes that seemed to look wholly at you, seeing your soul, your appearance, your feelings, all at once. She looked, well, royal. Her clothing –modest yet flirty- fit her wonderfully, and Chihiro wondered what this beauty could possibly be doing talking to her.

"Hi," was the brightest thing Chihiro could think of to say.

Her response caused the woman to smile. "Come, please, I would really like to talk about some things with you. And anyways, it's not healthy to be staying out here at night," she held out her hand – a peace offering.

"Okay…" Chihiro agreed as she grabbed the woman's hand –warm and soft, nothing unexpected- and stood up.

"I like your style of dress. Maybe I'll have to have my tailor make me some clothes of the like," the woman said as she gave Chihiro a good once-over. "Oh! I'm sorry!" Suddenly her face was bright red. "I can't believe I totally forgot! My name is Ayako." Ayako smiled shyly.

"I'm Chihiro. It's nice to meet you…?" Chihiro looked questioningly at the look of pure shock on Ayako's face.

"It's you! Wow, I thought that was only a fairytale. It's an honor to meet you!" Quickly Ayako bowed.

"Oh, um, that's not necessary…" Chihiro protested.

"Yes, it is! You are legendary! I cannot believe I've had the honor of meeting you!"

"Please, don't make a big deal about it. I sure don't feel legendary. I just want to be normal. Well, okay, so I'd rather not go back to scrubbing the tubs but I don't want to be treated like I'm royalty or anything."

"Oh, do not worry! You won't be treated like royalty; you're better than that!"

"That's not what I meant…" Chihiro wished she had used a fake name.

"Have I offended you?" Ayako's voice was small.

"No! No, it's just… I'm here for some relaxation… I'd rather not have everyone giving me special attention."

"Oh, I see. You want a break from your fans. Well, if you're sure, then. Sorry I went all crazy on you. I hope I didn't blow your cover." Ayako smiled at her.

"I think we're fine." Chihiro smiled back. _This is going to be interesting_.

"Oh! I don't think you have a room! Come, let's get you checked in. I'll make sure you have the finest room!" Before she knew what was going on, Chihiro was being pulled along.

_Wonderful._

-

"_(hic)_Wow… this food is _(hic)_ grossly delicious _(hic)_ and it gave me the _(hic)_ hiccups!" Minerva giggled. She and Cartel were in their adjacent rooms, the door between the two open.

"I wonder _(hic)_ what they _(hic)_ gave us," Cartel asked no one in particular.

"Mmm _(hic)_ but whatever it was _(hic)_ it was yummy," Minerva replied.

"I _(hic)_ agree!" Cartel exclaimed.

_"(hic)_ Now I'm _(hic)_ very… sleepy… _(hic)_," Minerva said as she hung on to the edge of consciousness.

"Me _(hic)_ too…" Cartel replied, falling asleep himself.

-

"Sir, what do you plan to do about the _humans_ that are trespassing on our lands?" Ichi asked his master. It wasn't hard to see that Haku was really annoyed, and Ichi was one of the only people who could get through to him at these times.

"I don't know," Haku replied, looking at the gathering storm clouds.

"We must do something!" Ichi protested.

"Yes, we must. I just don't know what," Haku slammed his fist against the wall. Ichi backed up a little bit, unused to seeing his usually tranquil master acting so passionately.

"We must, at least, have their stench out of here for your upcoming mating," Ichi calmly noted.

"Yes. I just don't know what to do with them."

"Why cannot we send them back? That is simple enough."

"True. But I doubt they'll be so willing to leave," Haku muttered as he sat down in his chair. The luxuries of running the bathhouse were fine and all, as was having powerful spirits know your name, but it was the primitive duty of producing an heir that was making everything seem dark for Haku. The woman he was to mate was beautiful and smart and witty… Everything he should want and every bit the person required to rule by his side (running a bathhouse of such importance was like running his own mini-kingdom), but not the person who he yearned for.

"Sir, is there anything I could get you? Sake, pork, teriyaki…? Anything?" Ichi asked, not liking his master's mood. Things –if they stayed on this course- would not be good for his plan.

"No. Just leave, make sure that the humans are well taken care of. That is all," Haku said, dismissing his advisor with a wave of his hand. Slowly, Ichi rose and exited Haku's grand study. As soon as the door shut, Haku stood and started his pacing again, running various plans through his head.

I could simply call off the mating ceremony… And shame her family and myself. That won't work.

_I could take Chihiro as a mistress… But she would never accept that and I wouldn't be able to hurt her in that way._

_I could just quit. Yes, I'm sure the whole community would love that. I wonder if it's possible for me to quit… Interesting theory. But where would we go?_

_Wait. I'm thinking ahead of myself. She's here with that boy, Carmichael? No, that's not it… But they're close, I can see it in the way he defends her. I can feel it radiate off of him, but I sense nothing off of Chihiro. She probably hates me. She should. After earlier… Why do I feel like I must always be so guarded around her? Like she can see through me, through all my secrets? It's horribly frustrating. I should talk to her. I will talk to her. And then I will make my decision._

-

"I'm terribly sorry, but this is as long as I may stay with you at the moment. I hope you find everything to your liking. I'll be back shortly – I just have a little business to take care of. If you need anything, simply send your order down through that. Enjoy!" Ayako exclaimed, gesturing around to miscellaneous parts of Chihiro's suite.

"Ohkay, thank you," Chihiro smiled at Ayako, waiting for her to leave so she could go and see her friends.

"Oh, you're welcome! I'll see you soon!" Ayako said as she quickly left.

"Thank the gods," Chihiro mumbled as she watched the brunette leave. Since walking back into the bathhouse, she had felt the strongest urge to see everyone. It made her feel excited, like a little child. Glancing around, she sprinted off to find Kamajii, not seeing the slim figure coming her direction.

"Oof! What the heck! Watch where you're going, why dontcha?" Chihiro exclaimed, dusting herself off from the fall. The figure had remained standing, and that ticked her off just a little. Pushing herself up, her eyes widened when they met Haku's.

"Oh. Wonderful to see you again. Now, if you'll excuse me I have somewhere I have to go," Chihiro said as she attempted to walk around him.

"What makes you think you can talk to me that way?" Haku exclaimed, temper rising.

"What makes you think you can talk to me at all? I mean, I wasn't sure you could speak after we met this morning," Chihiro's temper rose to the challenge.

"This is all your fault!"

"What? How can anything be _my_ fault? I just got here!"

"Exactly! You never came back!"

"You told me not to!"

"And you thought I actually meant it!"

"You didn't exactly give me reason not to believe you!"

"And now you're with that _creature_!"

"Cartel is not a creature! You wanna see a creature? Look at yourself! You're a fucking _monster_!"

"You should have never come back."

"I wish I never did." And with that, Chihiro stormed off, ignoring the faces that were staring at her.

Haku, however, saw all the faces. _Great. I just made a complete fool of myself in front of everyone._ "What do you think you're looking at? Get back to work!" Haku yelled.

_Monster. She called me a monster._ He kept thinking about that as he stormed back to his study.

-

"I hate him! He's so annoying and he gets under my skin so quickly and I just can't stand him! Why does he have to look at me like that? Hmm? Like… Like… Like I'm something he wants to take apart and study! I am not study material! I am a woman! Okay… That sounded cheesy. But I am not about to put up with this any more! I'm so sick of it!" Chihiro ranted to the sootballs. They were so comforting at times like this. She often wanted to steal one and hug it and squeeze it and call it George. Or Sebastian. She preferred Sebastian to George. There was one that would make a good Sebastian…

"Love. It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kamajii asked.

"Love? Whaddya mean, love? This is _hate_! War! I don't _love_ him! No way!" Chihiro exclaimed as she felt her face grow warm.

Kamajii only chuckled. "Whatever you say."

"Okay, so maybe there was some serious _like_ there for a while… But now he's so mean!" Chihiro pouted as some of the sootballs blinked at her. They were so adorable!

"Ah, yes. But it is not his fault. There is more to the story than you know."

"So tell me! Please! I want to understand. He said this was all my fault…"

"And in a way, it is."

"What!?"

"Had you not come here in the first place, the Order wouldn't have been upset."

"The Order?"

"Yes. The Order. But I can't speak of it anymore."

"Oh. Why not?"

Kamajii laughed. "Because it is forbidden, young one."

"That sucks."

"I suppose it does."

"I should probably find Lin. Though I think I can wait to hear her scream," Chihiro mumbled as she rose.

"Come back when you need to talk. I appreciate hearing the tales of younger ones," Kamajii said as Chihiro stuck her head out of the boiler room.

"I'll be back. Don't worry. See you soon!" Chihiro exclaimed as she set off to find Lin.

-

**Anyone want to be a beta? I know we have the new feature and all, but I'd rather have someone who reads my stories...**

**Review please!**


	3. c h a p t e r 3

**Life interrupted.**

**Lots of thanks to Buffalo Nickel Girl for her willingness to pre-read my stuff ;) (also known as betaing)**

**This is for:**

**Micah (even though I don't know you yet), Trenton (dude, are you really my age?),**

**McKenzie (is it a sign we don't get along?), Tristan (you rock my socks off… ily seriously!!), **

**Chase (no worries, there's no Steve), and Colton (you are so adorable! Will you be my little brother?)**

**And of course:**

**Puppy (because I still can smell you… You really need a breath mint!)**

**Ooh, and check out the new poll!! It's totally cool! Please please vote, because I really wanna know.**

**And guess what!? (I keep adding more and more A/Ns…) I gots a Myspace!! It's my homepage, for those who wanna add me!!**

**(PLEASE DO!)**

"Didja hear? _She_ came back!"

"Is that possible?"

"Well, can't you smell her?"

"Yeah, but I thought that Master Haku made the barrier unbreakable!"

"Me too. But the stench says differently."

"I agree. It's so strong!"

"There are three of them, or so says _Tilda_."

"Well, we can't really trust _her_, but that would explain the odor."

"I still can't believe she had the audacity to return! After what she did to-"

"Now, it's not very wise to be gossiping when you're supposed to be working, is it?" Lin interjected, startling the two women. They were supposed to be scrubbing the tubs, and by the look things they hadn't even _looked_ at the tubs.

"Oh! Lin, it's just you. You really scared us there!" the tallest of the women exclaimed.

"You're supposed to be working," Lin coolly reminded them. "But who are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? You were her friend; I'd expect you to identify the scent. It's that human, Sen!" the shorter one explained.

Recognition flashed on Lin's face. "I thought… She wasn't supposed to come back!" Quickly, Lin sprinted out of the bathing rooms.

"Well, that went fairly well. Did you hear about Kagi?"

* * *

"Haku, please, tell me what is the matter," Ayako said as she took in her future mate's appearance. His hair was disheveled, the papers on his desk were messed around, his shirt was –for once- open, and his head was resting on his desk.

"Just work stuff. Nothing of interest to you," Haku replied, wishing she would go away. As long as Ayako wasn't here, he could imagine his own happily-ever-after.

"No, this is more than work stuff. This is about her, isn't it?" Haku was startled at how soft and caring her voice was. He really expected her to freak out when Chihiro even arrived. She seemed almost too calm for his tastes. If she had a problem with it everything would be much easier. Ayako sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Ayako…"

"I've always wanted to know about her. Since I first came here I heard the workers talking about her. How courageous she was… How pretty she was once you got over her smell… Haku, I know this is hard for you. I just want to help you. Please, Haku, let me in. Allow me to help you!" Ayako exclaimed. "We're going to be _mates_. You know how serious that is. I think I have a right to know some of these things. It's no secret that I'll be able to hear your thoughts. I would just like to be able to have an idea of where they come from."

"You don't have to worry. They'll leave soon. Everything will be back to normal," Haku said, trying to change the subject.

"Haku, you know that's not true. Nothing will be back to normal. The Order can't be upset _again_ and go back to normal," Ayako stood up. "You don't want to talk about it. Fine. I'm going to go and be a proper hostess." Ayako took one last look at him before walking out of the room. It annoyed Haku even further that she didn't slam the door.

Ayako and Haku had known each other for about 100 years. They had met when Haku first arrived in the Spirit World. Her father, and ocean spirit, had taken his family to the bathhouse for a vacation. Ayako had done something very similar for him to what he did for Chihiro the first time she came here.

-

He never expected this to happen. His river had always flourished, helping out those who chose to live next to it. He had never been a rash river and harmed the ones who trusted him. For hundreds of years he had taken care of his little village, until modernization. His river was quickly polluted and destroyed for new skyscrapers. Everything from that time was a blur, but he did remember appearing in the Spirit World, as lost as Chihiro had been. Ayako took him in – her father was staying in the bathhouse. With her careful guidance, he had been able to swiftly blend in with the other spirits.

"_Who are you?" the little girl asked._

"_My name is Kohaku River," the boy replied, looking around the unfamiliar setting._

"_Mind if I call you Haku? Kohaku River is a little too long. I'm Ayako," she said, sticking her hand out to help him up. "I'll be your best friend."_

_The boy just looked at her hand. "What's a best friend?"_

"_A best friend is someone who you love no matter what but don't have to kiss," she giggled._

"_Oh. That sounds okay," he smiled and took her hand. "Do we have to hold hands?"_

"_Yep. But don't worry about it, okay? Come on, let's go meet my papa!"_

She had always been friendly, and that had been the extent of it. They were childhood playmates, and that was all to him. Until recently, they had stayed in a comfortable friendship, sending letters and never forgetting "birth"days. They frequently saw each other, but everything changed when Yubaba died. Haku, being the most experienced person when it came to running the bathhouse, was quickly promoted. It wasn't a job he wanted.

"_She's looking at you…" Ayako giggled._

"_Would you shut up? I know she's looking at me," Haku replied, ignoring the looks of one of their female classmates._

"_Humor her a little. You haven't been out on a single date ever, and it's almost a contest to see who can get you to go out with them."_

"_Are you in on this contest?"_

"_Maybe. So would you go out with me, bestest friend in the entire world?" she begged, giving him her best puppy dog look._

"_No."_

"_You're such a party pooper." Ayako punched his arm._

_Haku laughed in return. "Am I now? How much of a bestest friend in the entire world would I be if I stole you away when he's looking at you like that?" he asked, directing her attention to one of their male classmates._

"_Shut up!"_

After being promoted, a lot of stress was put on him to marry. There were many influential fathers with many beautiful daughters who would be valuable allies of the bathhouse. Yubaba had never had this pressure on her – who wanted to marry an ugly old woman?

"Master Haku," another woman said, bowing. Haku was amazed that she could bow; her kimono was so thick and her hair was done up so elaborately on the top of her head he figured she wouldn't be able to do anything but stand up straight. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed her.

"_But, please! Take a moment to get to know me! I promise I will-"_

_He interrupted her with another wave of his hand. He wouldn't do the honor of talking to these pathetic women._

_None of the beautiful daughters of influential fathers were truly beautiful. None of them were like Ayako or… her… in the least. They either were a little appealing but had no personality, or they were simply ugly and boring. He wished Ayako was here to lighten the mood a little bit._

"_Master Haku," yet another woman said, bowing._

_He was really getting tired of this._

Being as he had known Ayako all his life, he figured she would be the best choice. She had been his friend, and he thought he might be able to love her eventually. He really was starting to have some kind of a romantic inclination towards her…

"Will you marry me?" Haku asked, not out of affection but of simple frustration.

"_What?!" Ayako exclaimed. It wasn't that she didn't want this, she just never had expected it. Not to mention this wasn't exactly the way she wanted it to happen._

"_Will you marry me? I'm serious… This is getting frustrating and I know you're dad's pressuring you, too. It makes sense, I mean, we at least know we can tolerate each other."_

"_You're serious?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, being as I'm your bestest friend in the entire world, I think I almost have to say yes," she replied, humor evident in her voice._

"_Good."_

"_That's all you can say, good? Jeeze!" Haku soon felt a fairly hard punch on his arm._

"_Well, what do you want me to say?"_

"_I don't know, anything besides good."_

"_Okay."_

"_And not okay!"  
_

And then Chihiro returned. His savior – his life. She came back, and he had no idea what to do about it.

She was there. Very very much there. In his world, their world, his heart said. She was older… Mature, and it made her look even more stunning. Long chestnut hair flowed down to the middle of her back, thick bangs covering up half of her face. She seemed flustered, being here. _Why would she be flustered? She belongs here,_ his heart stated, because his heart had long ago found a voice. He observed the way the boy looked at her, found excuses to touch her. The way the other girl seemed to laugh at that, the way they seemed to close.

She had seen him. He thought he saw the faintest hint of a smile on her face, but then it was replaced by fear.

"Come," he said, and he had no idea why he was suddenly so cold to her, the woman he loved.

She only hung her head before the male companion came to her aid.

"Uh, Chihiro…? Are you okay?" Cartel asked, looking frantically between the two old friends.

"You'll be fine," he said, his words having a double meaning. She nodded, understanding only one.

He looked back to her friends, "Come."

Would you stop saying 'come'? It's not leaving a good impression, nor is it making Chihiro like you at all, his heart said.

"Whoa, wait a minute. I'm not going anywhere without Chihiro," the female said.

"No, guys, trust him. He knows what he's doing," his love said, and he could feel her pain.

"Baby, are you okay?" the boy asked, and Haku almost took the bait.

"I'm fine. Just go with him, alright?" she was so strong, caring only about her friends when she was in such clear pain.

"But Chihiro…!" the boy prostested, and Haku wondered what she ever saw in the mere child. He could give her so much more, the entire world and more, but she had settled on a child!

Calm down. It's been seven years since you two last met. She had to move on sometime, his head rationalized.

But she belongs with us! Not with anyone else, his heart replied.

"I said, go with him. Do I need to repeat myself again?" her head snapped up, and she glared at the boy. Inwardly, Haku grinned.

"No. Fine. We'll go." The boy glared back.

"Minerva… You too. I'll be fine, okay? Trust me, please," she begged, and her female friend nodded.

"Stay safe," the girl said, and for a moment, he was reminded of a younger Ayako.

He walked into the bathhouse, her friends following. Before he even got three steps in, he could smell her tears.

_Oh, smooth move. Now you've made her cry,_ his head said.

_Shut up,_ his heart replied, too frustrated to really listen at the moment.

* * *

"Whoa… What the hell happened to us?" Minerva asked, looking around. She had many reasons to be dreaming; she was in a very ornately decorated, wonderful room in a huge bed _and_ she was pretty sure Cartel was snoring. They were all things she had only ever dreamed about. It was the killer headache, however, that made her realize that she was in fact not dreaming.

"Go back to sleep," she heard Cartel mumble from across both rooms.

"Yeah, yeah. C'mon. We have to find Chihiro. There's no way I'm letting her get into trouble. That guy is _mine_," Minerva giggled as she stood up, pausing as she waited for the world to stop spinning. It was at least a good minute before she got her wish.

"Idunwanna," Cartel complained as he buried his head into his pillow.

"You're so pathetic. You should be all knight in shining armor. But noo, you're too tired to move. I'm sure Chihiro will appreciate that when she's dead." Minerva said as she looked around her room.

"Takcarhersef," he replied.

"Gods, Cartel! You really are useless! Do you want her to be seduced by that Haku dude? They have a _history_, I tell you, and I want to get to the bottom of it! Whether you're going to be a _man_, as you claim to be, or not, well that's your problem," Minerva said, moving to look out the window. Cartel was still motionless.

There was a muffled response that Minerva couldn't decipher.

"Don't you love her?" she asked, completely serious. Chihiro and Cartel had always taken things slowly… Almost too slowly. They dated for a "whopping" (in Minerva's words) two weeks before he held her hand. They'd only danced together twice, and never had Minerva been informed of either saying those three overly used words that were usually said on the first date, at least in their school.

Now Cartel rolled over, blinking slowly at her.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything, idiot! If you love her, you should want to protect her and all that jazz. I mean, if I was still with Hiro, I know he would take care of _me_. He'd at least be jealous."

"Yeah, well, let's just say I feel very secure in our relationship. It wouldn't be like her to go off with that guy who's named after a type of poetry."

"Ugh! At least come exploring with me. Chihiro acted like she knew this place - like she'd been here before. I want to know what's so bad about it that she would never tell anyone."

"We'd think she was crazy."

"Be brutally honest, why don'tcha?" Minerva said, glaring at him.

"I'm right though. She'd be even more of an outcast. Which isn't a bad thing, necessarily, but I'd hate to be an outcast and have to deal with the girls in our school."

Minerva had to agree with him. "But, still. We should find her. Who knows how long it's been since we first got here. We were only supposed to be gone a day…"

"Yeah, you're right," Cartel said as he stood up. "I hope it's only been a few hours… I'd hate to face the wrath of my parents if I miss dinner with my grandma."

* * *

"SEN!!"

The deafening cry alerted Chihiro. She was walking back to see Kamajii, after a fruitless attempt to find Lin. No one at the bathhouse was exactly helpful – she was a "_reeking"_ human. She did see a few familiar faces, like the annoying little frog that Haku had put into a bubble the first time she was there and the Radish Spirit. She had walked past the bath she had to clean, and the bath she used to bathe No-Face. Ever familiar thing was a bittersweet memory – bitter because she hated the place, but sweet because the events she had endured made her that much stronger.

Before she could react to the scream, though, she was attacked with a hug.

Chihiro was quickly

* * *

spun around, now facing her attacker. "You're back! Did you come for the ceremony? We were concerned about you… Everyone thought you forgot about us but I always believed. Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Lin said, smiling at her. She was hugged once again.

"Lin, can't… really… breathe…"

"Oh! Right, I'm sorry!" Lin grinned. "Boy, do I have a lot to tell you!"

-

In the last hour, Chihiro knew everything that had been going on. Every single last detail. Stuff she would have rather _not_ known. There was a week until Haku's mating ceremony. One solitary week.

"So, do you think you can stay? I know it would be nice to have you around for a while…" Lin was practically begging.

"Um, well, that's the thing. I don't really know if I can… I'm here with some of my friends, and we came by accident so I'm pretty sure our families are looking for us," Chihiro said, not wanting to tell Lin the real reason she would do anything to not stay.

"Please? It would mean a lot to me, especially. It's been so lonely here."

"I'd have to talk to my friends first."

"But I'm asking _you_, not your friends, though they are welcome to stay, too!" Lin exclaimed, really wanting her friend to stay.

Chihiro couldn't help but smile. She really had missed Lin over the years. "I can't make any promises, but I'll think about it."

* * *

**And there it ends! For now, at least! So, again: check out my MySpace, it's on my profile under the homepage link by my pic; and check out the poll, which is at the top of the page!**

**R&R please, it keeps me alive!!**


	4. c h a p t e r 4

**sorry. (:  
happygolucky1001: (you changed your penname on me!) i would have sent this to you for pre-reading,  
but your profile said you weren't on here often. so if you want your job still, it's all yours!**

**this one is for logan.  
i love you.**

* * *

Minerva and Cartel weren't exactly pleased with the looks that they were greeted with as they wandered around the bathhouse in hopes of finding Chihiro.

"Do I smell or something?" Cartel asked, sniffing his shoulder.

"No, you're fine. But look at how they watch us! Like that nasty little frog creature. That's something I wouldn't mind dissecting in class, that's for sure," Minerva replied, shivering under the frog's stare.

"Yeah, I'm with you on that one. Do you think they speak our language? Do you think they speak any language? I wonder if we could ask them where Chihiro is…"

"There is no way that I'm going to try and talk to that frog. If we find something relatively human-like, then I'll talk to them. Otherwise, you're talking to the weird creatures."

"Why do I have to talk to them?"

"Because I'm a bitch, remember? You love calling me that. And bitches don't make friends. Weird nerdy types do. Well, they try to at least. And you are _completely_ the weird nerdy type."

"I'm not a weird nerd!"

"I didn't call you a weird nerd. I said you were the weird nerdy type. There's a difference!"

"There is not!"

"Is too. But stop yelling. That makes them look at us even more. And even more strangely. Maybe we should find that one dude that brought us here… He might know where Chihiro is."

"But he didn't seem to like us all that much," Cartel reminded her as they passed by another weird creature.

"That's why you'll do all the talking! No one can hate a weird nerdy type of person!" Minerva replied, smirking.

"I hate you."

"I hate you too!" she said, before skipping ahead, leaving Cartel to run after her.

* * *

After a short nap in her room, Chihiro had emerged from her room in hopes of locating her two friends. She hadn't gotten far before she was greeted by Ayako.

"Thank goodness I found you! I really need a woman's opinion. No one here who isn't employed by Haku really likes me. And when I ask their opinion, they just say something general, like 'mhm.' It's really getting on my nerves. Please? Help me? The ceremony is so soon, and I just can't decide… I'm so lost!" she begged, startling Chihiro.

"Um…" Chihiro said, looking for a way out of it. Helping some girl plan the mating ceremony for the guy that Chihiro loved wasn't on her list of things. Well, not loved. Chihiro didn't love him. _I should love Cartel. Not Haku. I don't love Haku. So, why not? It could be fun…_ "Sure. Let's get to work."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me. Come on, the ceremony room is this way…" Ayako said, beaming at Chihiro. "You're a life saver, you know that?"

Chihiro smirked. "So what is it you need me to help plan?" she asked as they started to walk to the ceremony room.

"Well…" Ayako looked at the ground. "Everything?"

"And how much time is left before the ceremony?"

"A week."

"I take it we have a lot to plan!"

"I suppose we do… Please, tell me you'll stay and help? Haku never mentioned how long you were staying, in fact, he never mentioned too much about you, but please, please stay. This is so much, too much to plan, and…"

Chihiro had never been able to turn down someone who really needed help. "Okay, I'll stay."

"Thank you!" Ayako exclaimed before pulling Chihiro into a massive hug. "You're the best."

Chihiro could only smile. She would be planning the mating ceremony for the guy she… had loved (she liked past tense better), to this beautiful, charming, funny woman. _If it'll make him happy…_

Two hours later, and Chihiro was suffering from a major migraine. Who knew there were so many shades of so many colors? Ayako liked so many things, so many colors, that it was a nearly impossible process. Did she want the colors to contrast? Or match? Or should they all match, and then have the flowers be accents? So many questions, Chihiro decided that she was going to be married wearing jeans and a t-shirt in some wedding chapel in Vegas, with Elvis blessing her marriage.

"Maybe, we should find a dress that you like. In a color that you love. And then plan everything else around that?" Chihiro suggested.

"Oh, good idea!" Ayako said, grinning. "I think the dress book is over here somewhere…"

"Over here somewhere" was basically the circle of books and notebooks and color swatches and flower samples and plates that had held cake samples that enclosed the two girls. It hadn't started out like that. They _had_ started out in the ceremony ball room, sitting on the floor with two cups of tea between them. But in the end, they were enclosed in a circle of everything you could possibly need to plan a mating ceremony. Chihiro was thankful that she could at least see over the piles and piles and piles of things surrounding them.

"Is anyone in here?" a familiar voice called out as the ballroom doors opened.

"Haku! Hi! We're over here!" Ayako called out, rummaging through the books.

Moments later, Haku was peering over the stacks at the two girls inside. Chihiro lost her breath for a moment at how handsome he looked, playful smirk on his face. And then she remembered how angry he had been, how frustrated he had made her, and she looked back at the empty teacups.

"What happened?" he asked, shock evident in his voice.

"Well, see, one thing led to another and… It would be much worse if Chihiro wasn't here to help me! She's a godsend, this girl," Ayako smiled over at Chihiro, who averted her eyes from the teacups just long enough to smile back.

"Hm," Haku said, looking over at her. "Are you two hungry? You've been in here for hours, according to some of the workers."

"Oh! Food! Yes, food would be quite good. I just, I get so into this that I sometimes forget that there's such a thing as time. You know?" Ayako replied.

"No, I'm not sure I do."

"Well, anyways. Would you bring us something? Or you can always join us."

"What would you like? I still have work that I must get done."

Ayako stopped rummaging through the books to look at Chihiro. "What sounds good to you?"

"Is there any General Tso's chicken? If so, just some of that and white rice, please," Chihiro said, reaching over to grab a book. She thought she should at least look useful.

"Oh, that sounds good! I'll have some of that too, please. And some more tea?"

"It'll be here in a few moments. I must get back to work."

"Thank you!" Ayako said, smiling as he left. "He's quite a catch, is he not? Any girl in this world that he wanted. And he wanted me."

Chihiro smiled at her. "Yeah, that's pretty special, isn't it?"

"Here's that book! Finally!" Ayako exclaimed as she pulled a book from the pile and slid over so she was sitting by Chihiro again. "What kind of dress do you think would look good? You have to pick one for yourself, too. It's custom. You're like my sister in this matter – helping me out like this. We'll find a beautiful dress for you, too." She flipped open the book. "Why is this book so big…" she grumbled as she flipped through page after page of dresses. "How are we ever going to decide?"

"I have no idea," Chihiro said, and sighed. _I wonder if they have any Excedrin Migraine here?_

* * *

"We're never going to find her, you know, unless we ask someone," Minerva said as they wandered around the bathhouse. They had been wandering for _hours_, taking only a break or two to sample some of the food (which they both adored).

"_We_ ask someone? _You're_ going to as someone. Not me. There is no 'we' here."

"Oh, come on Cartel!" Minerva begged. "Please? You can do it! I know you can!"

"And who am I supposed to talk to?"

"Umm…" She looked around, hoping to see someone. "Haku!"

Haku had just been turning a corner to get back to his office when he heard her call his name. He was very, very tempted to turn back the other way and avoid them, or just magic himself back to his office but suddenly Minerva was right in front of him. Cartel, however, was still a good few feet behind.

"Cartel, get your butt over here! He has something to tell you," she told Haku.

"Where's Chihiro?" Cartel grumbled, glaring at Minerva.

"In the main ballroom. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get to work," he said, stepping around the two teenagers.

"Wait! Where is that?" Minerva called out after him.

"Take the first left. It's the room with the fancy doors," he said before he stepped into the elevator and was on his way back to his office, his sanctuary.

"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Minerva asked as they took the left and saw the doors. "Holy crap! Those are huge!"

Huge was right. The doors themselves met the very high ceiling, and they were plenty wide. Pure gold, with ornate carvings in them, they were quite stunning.

"I wonder what the room inside looks like…" Cartel said, pushing open the doors. "_Wow._"

The ballroom was beautiful. Gold decorations all over the walls, thick velvet draperies running around the ceiling. The floor was a beautiful marble, and the room seemed to be illuminated only by what appeared to be stars in the ceiling. In the center of the room, Cartel thought he saw another light, a smaller one, but he couldn't quite be sure.

"Chihiro! Yo, Chihiro! You in here?" Minerva yelled out.

"Over here!" Chihiro called, and Cartel figured that she was by that other source of light. They made their way towards it, and were both surprised to see their best friend surrounded by books on color-coordination and dresses and flower pairings. She wasn't exactly known for being in-touch with her feminine side.

"Hey," Cartel said as he looked at his girlfriend. "What's up?"

"She's helping me plan the ceremony! Isn't she great? We're still working on picking out her dress. She's very stubborn. And picky!" Ayako said, flipping through page after page in the dress book.

"The ceremony?" Minerva asked.

"Yes. My mating ceremony. I'm going to become Haku's mate in a week, and she agreed to help me."

"Wow," Cartel said. "But…"

Chihiro knew what he wanted to say. "I told her I would stay. You guys can go back whenever. In fact, you should probably leave soon. Time is still passing back home. I'm sure your parents are worried sick."

"Um, no way. I'm not going back without you, girl. You stay, I stay. It's that simple," Minerva said.

"I'm not going back, either. It's not like my parents will mind," Cartel added, smiling at Chihiro. He wanted her to understand the hidden meaning, but he didn't think she got it.

"All right," Minerva said, stepping into the circle of books. "What dresses do we have to choose from, anyways? I went shopping with her for a formal once, and man, was that torture!"

Cartel's smile faded away as he watched the three girls discuss dresses. He had always felt this wall between Chihiro and himself, and this place, well, this place wasn't helping any. She had disappeared for nearly a day, not contacting him. Not needing him. Not wanting him. He almost wanted to go back, but this place intrigued him. So for now, he'd stay. He'd hope that Chihiro still cared about him, in the way she did before they came to this place. And he'd hope that she wouldn't end up finding a reason to not come home.

* * *

**review? (:  
they make me so happy.**


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